Sports round-up

Rugby union: All Blacks players have been banned from communicating with fans via Twitter during this year’s World Cup, amid fears the microblogging website will prove a distraction. With the All Blacks under pressure to ditch their tag as World Cup chokers when New Zealand hosts the rugby showcase in September-October, coach Graham Henry said the days of players tweeting their thoughts were over.

Swimming: Triple Olympic gold medallist Libby Trickett will make her return to competitive swimming at the Australian Short Course Championships in Adelaide next month, Swimming Australia said yesterday. Trickett, 26, retired from the sport in December 2009 but announced her return to competitive swimming last September. However, she has had to wait nine months because of international drug-testing protocols before being eligible to compete again at a FINA-recognised meeting.

Athletics: The head coach of South Korea’s marathon team is being investigated for allegedly doping his athletes who include an Asian Games gold medallist. Coach Jeong Man-Hwa has since April allegedly made his marathoners inject themselves with illegal substances that increase red blood cells but are hard to detect in drug tests, Yonhap news agency said. The coach has reportedly denied the allegation.

American football: Super Bowl champions, Green Bay Packers, re-united yesterday to receive their championship rings after receiving special permission from the league to hold the ceremony. The Packers captured their Super Bowl title four months ago but the National Football League is now in the midst of a labour dispute. Yesterday, the locked out players and officials gathered on Lambeau Field to collect their rings. During the lockout, contact between players and manage-ment is prohibited.